


Promises You Shouldn't Make.

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Aliens, Blackouts, Flashbacks, Hurt, Longing, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 04:49:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17760086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Isobel promised her brothers she would never read their minds. So what happens when she breaks that promise and reads Michael's? Enter Alex Manes.





	Promises You Shouldn't Make.

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this before the episode ruins what I wish would happen during Isobel's blackouts. I really just want everyone to know about Michael & Alex. Title comes from my favorite super angsty song "Lovers" by Anna of the North.

She’s gasping for breath, face down in the dirt. She looks around with no clue how she got here but she knows it’s part of yet another blackout.  _ What is happening? _

 

“Isobel!” She hears Max and Michael yell.  _ Thank god. _

 

She struggles to sit up but falls to her knees again when she feels both of their arms around her to steady her.

 

“Woah. Careful,” Max says as he finally gets her situated in the dirt. Michael’s hands are frantically searching her for injuries as Max holds onto her tightly. She tries to grab Michael’s hands, but she feels so weak.

 

“I’m okay,” She croaks out. Both of them stop to look at her, eyebrows raised.  _ Which would be comical, if this wasn’t so serious.  _

 

“Isobel.” Max and Michael say again. 

 

“I don’t know what’s happening to me. One minute I was laying down on the couch and the next I woke up here.” 

 

“You’ve used your powers too much,” Michael says, “This has to be similar to the rage Max was feeling.”

 

She nods and Max makes a committal humming noise as he shoves a bottle of nail polish remover at her. She’s grateful and downs almost the entire thing before they speak again. 

 

“We have to figure out what’s happening,” Max says, “And don’t use your powers until we figure this out.”

 

“I wasn’t even using them. I haven’t felt right since the night with Liz.” 

 

Michael reaches for her and as she grabs his hand, she’s immediately transported into his mind, in a way that she can’t control. Normally she can focus enough to navigate someone’s mind, but not this time. This time, she’s caught in these different flashes of his memories. His strongest memories if she had to guess. All circling around one person: Alex Manes.

 

_ I love being at Foster’s Ranch, sitting in the dirt, staring up at the sky.  _

 

_ You come out here a lot? Alex approaches him, out of nowhere. _

 

_ What are you doing out here, Manes? _

 

_ —— _

 

_ You teach me how to play that, I’ll teach you how to skateboard? Alex starts doing tricks on his board to make his point.  _

 

_ Okay, but not that terrible Green Day song you like. I start strumming on my guitar. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ I like the museum. I think it’s the closest I’ll get to home. _

 

_ I know you do. I turn and kiss Alex. My first kiss. Alex’s first kiss. Maybe I’m already home. _

 

_ Alex smiles into the kiss as he grabs my curls. I moan. Apparently I like that.  _

 

_ —— _

 

_ What do you see when you look at the stars Guerin? _

 

_ Everything. And nothing. _

 

_ What about you? Turning to find Alex’s warm brown eyes staring back.  _

 

_ Everything.  _

 

_ Heart beating, racing. I...I love him. I’m overwhelmed by him. Consumed by him. Rolling on top of Alex, looking down at his beautiful face, and kissing him senseless.  _

 

_ —— _

 

_ Can you two please stop laughing?! I’m trying to take a picture! Kyle yells at them. _

 

_ I set my guitar down and turn to look at Alex when the camera flashes. _

 

_ Hey I wasn’t looking! _

 

_ Yes you were.  _

 

_ —— _

 

_ You’re doing great! _

 

_ Shut up. I keep falling. I don’t want to use my powers. _

 

_ Come on. I’ll help you. Alex grabs me around my waist and I feel a shock. We both do. Alex turns to smile at me. I lean down to kiss him. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ The Air Force?! You hate the military. Hell, you hate your father.  _

 

_ I’m sorry. Alex has tears streaming down his face. _

 

_ Me too. I can’t stop my own tears from falling. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ You’re not going to come to the parade? _

 

_ No, Isobel. I’m not. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ Alex. I feel like I’m seeing a ghost. He can’t really be here? Can he? _

 

_ Back from Baghdad. Finally a real Manes man. _

 

_ Three quarters of one. As Alex hits the metal on his leg, I think I’m going to be sick. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ We’re not kids anymore. What I want doesn’t matter.  _

 

_ I can’t help it. I look Alex up and down. Seeing him for the first time, it seems. I reach forward and grab Alex behind his head. A sense of home fills me as I kiss Alex for the first time in ten years. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ What happened at the reunion can’t happen again. Alex is getting on my nerves again. Ever the soldier. _

 

_ What happened? I was pretty wasted. The lie to protect myself slipping off of my tongue easily. After all, I’ve had years of practice.  _

 

_ —— _

 

_ Is there really nobody in this world that you wouldn’t risk everything to save? _

 

_ As Isobel leaves, I gaze at Alex. Yes, I wanted to say to her. Yes, there is someone. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ I never look away. Not really. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ I watch as Alex takes off his prosthetic, with shaky hands he removes the buckles and the protective sleeves. I place a hand on top of Alex’s and kiss him. Hard.  _

 

_ —— _

 

_ I wake to the smell of bacon. I didn’t even know I had bacon. I turn to look and see Alex in just his boxers with his prosthetic on, cooking at the one burner the trailer has. Beautiful.  _

 

_ Breakfast for dinner? And how I wished it was morning. That Alex would stay the night. _

 

_ Alex turns and smiles at me, tongue peeking out of his mouth.  _

 

_ Breakfast for dinner.  _

 

_ —— _

 

_ I can’t believe you still have my guitar! I shrug. So I kept some of Alex’s things. Sue me.  _

 

_ You play it? _

 

_ I hold up my left hand and shake my head. _

 

_ Alex picks up the guitar and brings it to the bed. _

 

_ I’ll play it. And then he starts to play that god awful Green Day song.  _

 

_ Not this one! _

 

_ I thought you loved my signing. I’m offended Guerin. _

 

_ I do! I do! I reach for Alex and begin tickling him. _

 

_ No, no! Stop! Uncle uncle! Alex is laughing, breathless now. I take the opportunity to surge up and kiss him. Guitar long forgotten. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ You’re awake. _

 

_ You stayed. _

 

_ —— _

 

_ Guess you’re still the guy just looking for any excuse to walk away, huh? I feel an ache in my chest. Alex always leaves. _

 

_ Maybe. And you’re still so good at giving them to me. _

 

_ The pain is overwhelming. _

 

_ —— _

 

Isobel can’t breathe. Memory after memory was coming at her. She couldn’t stop it. How had she never known about them? How had she missed that Michael was in love? That he was  _ hurting.  _ The pain she was feeling was visceral. Like if she'd been the one on the other side of Alex. Hearing those things.  _ Feeling _ those things. She’s choking on air, when she finally hears a distinct voice and feels a push within her mind.

 

“Dammit Isobel, get out of my head!” Michael screams and uses enough of his powers to shove her out of his mind. The force knocks both her and Max back. She’s finally able to breathe, as she realizes she’s no longer trapped in Michael’s memories. 

 

“Hey! What the hell?” Max yells at Michael as he scoops Isobel into his arms. He’s practically laying in the dirt with Isobel sprawled on top of him.

 

“Shit.” Michael curses and grabs his hair. He crouches down in front of them.

 

“Are you okay?” Michael asks. And that hits her like a sucker punch. She’d just invaded his privacy, unwillingly, and he’s still making sure she’s okay. 

 

“Michael.” She reaches out to grab his arm but he reacts as if he’s been burned. He flinches away from her and lands next to them in the dirt, with his knees to his chest.

 

“You promised.” Michael says quietly. 

 

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

 

“You had no right.” Michael says without any conviction.

 

Both her and Max reach for him at the same time. This time when he flinches he scoots far enough away that they can’t touch him. He faces them but his head is on his knees.

 

“Can someone tell me what  _ did _ just happen?” Max asks. 

 

Michael’s still looking down at the ground. His face the picture of misery. And Isobel understands. 

 

“I don’t know. I keep seeing flashes of people when they touch me. I think that’s how I ended up out here. Noah,” she gasps. 

 

“It’s fine. We called him,” Max says and looks thoughtful, “But I don’t get it. I grabbed you,” 

 

“I’ve already been inside your mind when we were younger. It’s people, like Noah and Michael, who I haven’t.” Isobel realizes the truth to her statements as she says that out loud. Something is definitely wrong. And it started with her trying to get inside of Liz’s mind. 

 

“Alright. Don’t go touching people until this stops happening,” Max says, “Something will give. Mine did.” 

 

She nods and looks over at Michael. He still hasn’t said anything. She wants to ask so many questions. But she isn’t sure how they’d be received.  _ Not well, if she has to guess.  _ She doesn’t know when she’ll get an opportunity to ask them again, though. So she does anyways.

 

“Why didn’t you tell us about Alex?” 

 

Michael jerks his head up to look at them. His eyes are bloodshot. Like he’s been holding back tears.

 

“Alex?” Max questions. “Alex Manes?” She nods against him. 

 

“What about him?” And then he seems to come to his own conclusion. “Oh. Well damn.” Max whistles. 

 

Michael smiles a little at this. 

 

“Since when?” Max asks. Isobel’s grateful that Max has started asking the questions. She knows the answer  _ of course.  _ But it seems Michael is more willing to talk to Max, because he  _ doesn’t  _ know. 

 

“Since we were seventeen,” Michael answers quietly. A small smile playing at his lips. 

 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Max asks. It’s surprising, really. Max and Isobel have always overshared. And even Michael, on occasion. When he wants to make them uncomfortable.

 

“He didn’t want anyone to know,” Michael says quietly. And Isobel is immediately transported to another one of Michael’s memories. One where she showed up with bagels, not knowing until today that Alex was still inside the trailer. Her heart  _ aches  _ for Michael.

 

“That doesn’t make any sense. He’s been out since before you guys got together.”

 

“I’m a  _ criminal _ ,” Michael spits out. 

 

“Michael,” she says as she reaches for him again. He lets her grab ahold of his arm.  _ Finally.  _

 

“No you aren’t,” Max says surprising everyone. Usually Max would start lecturing Michael right about now, but it seems even he’s gathered how serious this is. How much Michael loves Alex. How much he’s hurting  _ because _ of Alex. Michael shrugs in response. 

 

“You gotta get him back,” Max says. Ever the optimist. Or the hopeless romantic. She can’t decide which one.

 

“He doesn’t want to be with me. Daddy doesn’t approve,” 

 

“Michael. Please. He loves you,” she says. Even though she never heard either of them use those words in Michael’s memories, she knows it’s true. She could see the love reflected in his eyes, every time he looked at Michael. 

 

“No.  _ No _ . You don’t get to use  _ my _ memories.  _ Our _ private moments. Against me.” 

 

“I’m not.”

 

“You are.”

 

“Michael... I’m sorry.” She doesn’t know how to fix this. She can’t ever unsee those moments. She feels horrible that she trespassed into his thoughts. Things that no one should know but Alex and him. She hangs her head.

 

Michael sighs. “Don’t say anything. Please.”

 

“We won’t.” 

 

“Yeah man. We won’t say anything,” Max says, “C’mon let’s get out of here. Noah’s worried.” 

 

She nods and they both help her stand on shaky legs. As they walk back to Max’s Jeep, she can’t help but notice the way Michael walks with his head down. He never looks like that. And her heart breaks a little more. 

 

When they pull up next to her house, she sees Noah run out and she’s practically pulled out of the truck and into his arms. She wonders, briefly, what lies Max and Michael told him. She feels like she can breathe again.

 

“Thank you,” Noah says to Max and Michael. They both nod, as Michael gets in the front seat. She feels herself being dragged into the house, but before they reach the door, Michael says something.

 

“Isobel.” She turns to him.

 

“I always wanted to tell you. I’m glad you know.” She nods and smiles. It’s the only forgiveness he’ll give her. She’s grateful for that much. 

 

**~~~**

 

A couple of weeks go by. She hasn’t had anymore blackouts. Which she’s grateful for. Everything seems to be as it was before, except, Michael. He’s got his cowboy swagger back, but now that she knows where to look, she can see the sadness in his eyes. She can see the smile that never quite reaches his eyes. Things are a little strained between them. A balancing act of sorts. She wants to ask and he wants to tell, but neither of them know how to start the conversation.

 

Until, one morning, she decides to swing by the junkyard. As she pulls in, she notices Alex’s truck parked next to Michael’s trailer. Instead of creating another awkward moment, she heads to Alex’s cabin. Better to speak to Alex there. She’s seen them around town together. Barely looking at each other. Or gazing into each other’s eyes. However subtle they were, now that she knew what to look for, it was easy to spot. It would be cute, if it wasn’t so painful to see. 

 

She pulls up to his cabin and goes to sit in one of his rocking chairs. She promised Michael she wouldn’t say anything, but she can’t help herself. Seeing him this miserable and knowing the cause of it is driving her insane.

 

Not too much later she sees Alex’s truck pull up. He gets out and greets her. “Isobel.”

 

“Alex.”

 

He gets up the steps and opens the door. He gestures for her to go inside. She sits down in one of his chairs while he leans against the counter.

 

“Is there a reason you’re here?”

 

“Well. I didn’t think another awkward encounter at the junkyard was the best place to have this conversation.” Isobel says flippantly. She sees his crutch start to fall as he falls forward on his own. She wonders briefly, how often that happens, and how often Michael rights the crutch with his powers. She smiles.

 

“How did you…?”

 

“I saw you leaving a couple of weeks ago. When I brought bagels. Don’t worry. He didn’t say anything to me. I figured it out all on my own.” 

 

He nods and goes to sit down on his couch across from her. 

 

“He’s a good man, Alex.”

 

“I know.” 

 

“Then why?”

 

“My dad…”

 

“Your dad’s an asshole.” Isobel is shocked at the venom in her voice. Before invading Michael’s thoughts, she didn’t have an opinion of Master Sergeant Manes. Of course, she knew he was tougher on Alex than he was his other sons. And he always had this  _ air _ about him, that he was better than most people. But now that she knew he was, indirectly, the cause of her brother’s pain, all bets were off. 

 

Alex hangs his head. “I know.”

 

“He isn’t a criminal.” Alex’s head shoots up at that. She has to tread lightly here. She can only reveal things that she could’ve learned on her own.

 

“I never...ugh.” 

 

“Your dad?”

 

“Yeah.” Alex is resigned. She can see his inner struggle. But she doesn’t have time to let him dwell on it.

 

“He’s not a criminal. Hell... half the time he isn’t even drunk, when he gets into those fights.” Isobel would know. She’s only seen him drunk a handful of times. Mostly after high school graduation, which makes so much more sense to her, now. With all the nail polish remover he puts in his drinks, he probably isn’t even tipsy most of the time.

 

“I know.”

 

“He’s lonely. He gets himself in trouble so that he has an excuse to talk to Max without having to actually ask for it.” The truth of this hits her like a ton of bricks. Michael might bicker and complain about Max’s lectures, but it’s the only time the two get to talk without any pretense. They aren’t as close as they were before everything happened. And half the time they’re fighting or throwing insults more than they’re actually talking, but she knows they like it. This cat and mouse game they play.  _ Brothers.  _

 

“I know.” Alex sighs.

 

“You love him?” 

 

Alex nods. It’s all she needed to know. She goes to stand. 

 

“Then you should tell him. And be with him. He doesn’t deserve this back and forth. And he loves you too much to walk away.” 

 

She goes to leave. There’s nothing else left to say.

 

**~~~**

 

A couple days later she’s at the Wild Pony with Michael, a peace offering of sorts. They start playing pool and she’s glad that they’re back to being comfortable around each other again. She walks up to the bar to order them more drinks when the door opens and Alex Manes walks in. 

 

She turns to look at Michael, who is just staring at him, trepidation clear on his face. Alex strides towards Michael and doesn’t stop until he grabs Michael around the back of his neck and pulls him into a bruising kiss. Michael responds immediately, with no hesitation. His hand goes around Alex’s waist and the other cups his cheek. It’s a kiss that Isobel guesses is ten years in the making. They break apart, but their foreheads are touching and Isobel can see Michael’s smile from here. It’s the most beautiful smile she thinks he’s ever worn. They’re whispering to each other and Michael laughs against his lips.

 

“Huh. Guess Guerin does have a heart,” Maria says as she brings Isobel their drinks. Isobel smiles.

 

“Guess Alex does too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username!


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